News from BarrowJournal - Topics from July, 2010

One woman has been confirmed dead as a result of a fatal wreck this afternoon on Highway 8 in front of Walmart. The accident occurred just after 4 p.m., according to Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith. Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team (SCRT) is investigating the two car collision. More details will be posted when ...

With heat indexes topping 100 degrees the past few days, Barrow County Emergency Services reminds citizens to be alert to the dangers of heat exposure. “With the heat of summer having been here for quite some time, folks may start thinking they are used to it and can do more outside then before,” said Barrow County Emergency Services public ...
[Full Story »]

A second meeting this week of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners was scheduled for Wednesday evening to tackle a $6 million budget gap for FY2011. That gap has some county officials talking about an unpopular option — raising local property taxes in addition to making new spending cuts. At a BOC meeting on Monday, the board raised the ...
[Full Story »]

Shane Coley of Winder will face Madison County’s Frank Ginn in the runoff in the State Senate District 47 race. Coley edged Ginn in the Barrow County vote total (2,296-2,141) but Ginn was the overall first-place winner in Tuesday’s primary with 45 percent of the vote. Kelley Gary was third in Barrow County with 953 votes followed by Doug ...
[Full Story »]

The Winder City Council did the right thing last week when it began steps to abandon plans for the city to borrow $5 million in a 40-year loan to build a major new city complex. There are several problems with the idea, but a key issue is how it was handled. Although the loan application and plans had been under way for months, Mayor Chip ...
[Full Story »]

A Winder man became the victim of two thefts after a visit from his recently jailed cousin. The victim said his cousin, Joe Nathaniel Oliver, 47, of 53 Dove Street in Kingstree, S.C., came for a visit after being released from jail in South Carolina. While the victim was out of town, Oliver took a 2002 Ford F-150 truck and some money that the ...
[Full Story »]

Because of Barrow County’s worsening financial condition, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday placed an immediate freeze on all non-essential spending. The board’s unanimous vote was at a meeting that was called to help the county’s finance staff complete a balanced spending plan for fiscal year 2011, which begins Oct. ...
[Full Story »]

In the middle of one of most hectic and stressful weeks in memory for me, I made my way to the Barrow County Annex Building and performed what I consider my patriotic duty last Thursday. I walked in, filled out some paperwork and within a few minutes had cast votes for the candidates of my choice in the 2010 primary. Who I voted for doesn’t ...
[Full Story »]

Turnout at Tuesday’s primary was steady, according to Barrow County elections supervisor Katie Ferm. By the time the polls closed, 6,230 voters had cast ballots. “Most of the polls seemed pretty steady,” Ferm said. “Turnout seemed to be pretty good.” In addition to those who voted on election day, 1,435 of Barrow’s registered voters ...
[Full Story »]

For the fourth year in a row, Barrow County Schools failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) according to results released July 19 by the Georgia Department of Education. Four of the school system’s 14 schools, including both high schools, failed to meet AYP standards. In addition to Apalachee High School and Winder Barrow High School, ...
[Full Story »]